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Photo#581917
Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) - Argiope aurantia

Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) - Argiope aurantia
Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA
September 25, 2011

Moved
Moved from Spiders. Yep, & nice shot.

 
Argiope aurantia
Thank you, Lynette! I was gardening and didn't see this thing until I had gotten so close that it was only about 6" from my face -- and I nearly had a heart attack!

 
=]
Yes, they could look intimidating when that close. I assume you know they aren't dangerous... your image gives me the impression that you appreciate the beauty of the spider, and weren't just posting to find out if it was dangerous.

 
Argiope aurantia
Actually, I've never seen one before, had no idea what it was, and my immediate impression was that it HAD to be poisonous just by the sheer design, color, pattern, etc. Imagine my surprise when I looked it up on this site and found it under "Garden Spider" (ha!) - I had to laugh at myself. I wanted to post the photo because I am completely captivated by the fact that something so threatening and frightening-looking is in reality strikingly beautiful and relatively harmless. Fascinating!

 
threatening and frightening-looking
Perhaps that look frightens off the birds? It's a fairly large and easy to see spider... so I assume that pattern & color has evolved for some purpose.

 
Beauty is relative...
And wouldn't it be interesting to find out what that purpose is? I'm not accustomed to looking at a lot of spiders, but I find this one particularly fascinating. And I suppose that in the spider world, this one could be considered to be among the most beautiful. It's like a work of art.

 
Beautiful Spiders
I agree it's beautiful, but I think there are quite a few beautiful spiders out there. Check out the following (just from the orb weavers in the US)

 
Beautiful Spiders
WOW!! This is truly astonishing! I'm really stunned, sitting here staring in amazement. I have to admit that as much as I revere nature, I have tried to ignore spiders out of fear stemming from childhood nightmares. So I want to thank you for sharing this with me -- even this small gallery is so incredible and beautiful that it piques my interest and curiosity. Thank you, Lynette!

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